Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
by Night Edge
Summary: Takes place during Dark Crusade. Focuses on Eliphas the Inheritor and an OC. Slightly AU. Currently revising.
1. References

Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer 40,000. I do however, own Sabre and the Dark Seraphim group.

This is mearly a reference chapter (obviously!) meant for the off chance that some one reading this doesnt know very much about Warhammer 40,000. If you do know this stuff already, feel free to go straight to the next chapter.

I apologize for the very long wait, but a lot has been happening (not gonna bore you with the details), but I am redoing the the fanfic so don't worry. I am adding things and generally making it longer and better. Even got a short spacebattle in the first chapter (I know hardly anything about Warhammer 40,000 spacebattles, so any tips, help or facts will help immensely.) As always constructive criticism and pointers are welcome and greatly appreciated.

* * *

References 

There are 8 dominant races/factions. They are:

**Space Marines**: Also known as Adeptus Astartes, they are the most powerful and dreaded fighting force of the human warriors in the galaxy. They are not truly human, but _superhuman_, having been made superior in all respects, to normal men by a harsh regime of genetic and cybernetic modification, psycho-conditioning and rigorous training. Being few in number, Space Marines are organized into small independent armies called Chapters. Each Chapter is responsible for its own recruitment, training, equipment, organization and strategy. Their unswerving loyalty is to the God-Emperor and no other. They consider members in their own chapters to be battle brothers.

**Imperial Guard**: Since the beginning of the Imperium of Man, the Imperial Guard has stood as its pillars of protection. With billions of men from more than a million different worlds, they are the largest and most diverse fighting force in the galaxy. The Imperial Guard remains the human element in a galaxy of inhuman. Standing shoulder to shoulder, ordinary men outfitted with flak vest and lasguns form the line and hold it against the unending tides of daemons, aliens and whatever else assaults the Imperium. Behind the lines of men, the ceaseless firing of tanks pounds a familiar beating ending only with their targets destruction. Walking among the men and ensuring they stand firm are the epitomes of heroes, the leaders of the Imperial Guard. Generals, Commissars and Priests all work together to ensure by any means that the hearts of the men stay true to the fight and that the line does not fall.

**Chaos Space Marines**: At the birth of the Imperium of Man, fully half of the Emperor's trusted Space Marine Legions turned on him in a bitter civil war known as the Horus Heresy. Brother fought brother and Mankind stood upon the very brink of extinction in this civil war. Ten thousand years after their defeat, those same traitors still launch their Black Crusades out of the Eye of Terror, intent upon nothing less than the utter destruction of the Imperium and the death of its weakling Emperor. Now and forever they had become the Chaos Space Marines, despised and feared as traitors and heretics throughout the galaxy. They use daemons and chaotic power provided by the Chaos Gods.

**Orks**: Orks are the most widespread and warlike of aliens in the bloodstained galaxy of the 41st millennium. They only live for one thing and that's war. They are constantly fighting anything that gets in the way, even if it's other Orks! In fact, the only thing keeping the Orks from uniting and bringing about the end of the galaxy is their inability to get along. If they were to organize and unify, they would quickly overwhelm and crush all opposition. The basic Ork is a muscle-bound, hulking monster capable of ripping a man apart with its bare hands. Their battle-scarred green skin is tough and highly resistant to pain. In combat they can transform even the most common object into a lethal killing instrument. Orks aren't the brightest creatures in the galaxy, but they do have a certain animalistic cunning that can catch an overconfident commander off guard. In a word, Orks are built for nothing other than war.

**Eldar**: The Eldar are an incredibly ancient alien race, which once ruled a vast empire across the stars. Then came the hideous times of the Fall, when the Eldar fell from power. Though they are now few in number, the Eldar are one of the most technologically advanced races in the galaxy. An Eldar army is unique in that almost every squad in the force is specialized in some way. The Eldar are powerful psykers whose Warlocks and Farseers use their mental abilities to sway the battle in their favor. The intentions of the enigmatic Eldar are as unreadable and unpredictable as their battle tactics, but only a fool would ignore any warnings of doom they may foretell.

**Necrons**: For 60 million years, the Necrons have lain dormant under the surface of the planet Kronus. Eons ago, the Necrontyr race clung to their short lives in fear of oblivion at the hands of their massive and ravaging star. The pushed the limits of science in an effort to lengthen their lives, but to no avail. Then, the star gods known as the C'tan were discovered, offering immortality at a terrible price. The Necrontyr agreed, and their souls were encased in living metal bodies. What they did not know was that the process dulled their minds and senses so they became slaves of the C'tan. The C'tan needed warrior-slaves to harvest the life-forms of the galaxy so the star gods can feast on souls, and the C'tan's new Necrons served this purpose very well. Their methods are fearsome and without remorse. On the field of battle they wield unholy armaments and can tap into the dark powers of their god to give them a considerable edge against their enemies.

**Tau**: While a relatively young race, the Tau have made their presence known by becoming one of the most efficient and powerful military forces in the galaxy. Fresh from their successful campaign to conquer Kronus, the Tau are seemingly without rivals. Their powerful technology has laid waste to countless armies, but it is their unique ideology that proves to be their most powerful weapon. Fighting for what they call the Greater Good, the Tau sweep through the galaxy, seeking enlightenment and unity to those who join them. This powerful ideology, while focused on community and well-being, lends itself well to the ways of combat. Tau fighters are extremely determined in their reasons to fight, giving them exceptionally high morale. Two such allied races are the Kroot and the Vespid. Having joined the Tau Empire, the two alien races now fight for them, giving the Tau army a wide array of unique attack capabilities. The Kroot are fearsome warriors adept at melee combat, while the insectoid Vespid are skilled at quick raids and assaults, thanks to their speed.

**Dark Seraphim**: Not a race, but a faction of like-minded humans. During the Horus Heresy, a group of Space Marines, Imperial Guard and civilians broke away from the Imperium and started the faction known as the Dark Seraphim. They do not share either the Imperium's narrow-minded views of life or the Chaos's heretical views. They strive for the goal of galactic peace and order, and as such, they are constantly at odds with the Imperium, Chaos Space Marines and Orks. While they are not as numerically superior as the Imperial Guard or as advanced as the Space Marines, they have survived for as long as they because their tactics are far superior to the other races/factions. Their colonyship, the _Dammerung_, is their home, for they do not have a planet. It is also their base of operations, for tactical strikes and the training of their elite forces. They have chosen Kronus as their new home planet, but must contend with the other races that have already landed and entrenched themselves on the planet surface.

Faction leaders of Dark Crusade:

**Sabre**, Age: 34 (In actuality its thought that he is 600 years old, but this isn't confirmed as of yet). He is one of the Four Admirals of the Dark Seraphim group, Admiral of the 1st Fleet, commander of the HellKnights and field commander of Dark Seraphim's Kronus forces. He was a member of the Word Bearer Chaos legion 50 years prior to Dark crusade, but was somehow liberated by Dark Seraphim's leader, Malkov. After months of unimaginable therapy and operations, Sabre became a semi-normal person, although he is still an incredibly vicious fighter and is haunted by memories of his time as a Chaos Lieutenant. He was a close friend of Eliphas while he was a Chaos Lieutenant.

**Eliphas the Inheritor**, Age: 50 (in actuality he's over 10,000-years-old). Eliphas, a Dark Apostle the Word Bearer legion, has come to remake Kronus in the twisted images of the Chaos Gods. Eliphas became a Dark Apostle due to his many victories over the weakling Imperium. An unimaginably vicious fighter and superb leader. What Eliphas wants, other than to please his gods and restore the honor lost to the Word Bearers 10,000 years prior, is to sate his lust for blood, destruction and death. No one will stand in his path to conquering Kronus, not even his former friend and Lieutenant, Sabre.

**Farseer Taldeer**, Age: Unknown. Taldeer of Craftworld Ulthwe has foreseen the return of the genocidal Necrons. Now that they have awoken on Kronus, she trusts no other to stop them. The Imperial Guard is hot on her trail due to her manipulation of General Sturn on Lorn V.

**Governor Luka Alexander**, age: 48. Luka and his 1st Kronus Regiment have come to free the planet from alien domination and restore it to the Imperium of Man. Originally sent to Kronus to track down Farseer Taldeer, High Command changed the orders after Lukas men found an Imperator Titans Hellstorm Cannon on the surface of the planet.

**The Necron Lord** of Kronus has awoken to find his tomb world infested with the living. His goal is to wipe Kronus clean as a tribute to his fearsome god, The Nightbringer.

**Warlord Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter**, age: unknown. Gorgutz sees Kronus as another prize for his Waaagh! and will lay waste to anyone in his path.

**Brother-Captain Davian Thule**, age: 42(in actuality, he's about 420). Davian of the Blood Raven chapter has arrived on Kronus to carry out a great purge. Dark secrets and holy relics luck on Kronus and Davian must protect them.

**Shas'o Kais**, age: unknown. Kais is the military commander of the Tau forces on Kronus and he fights to keep this world in the Tau Empire. While others fight for greed, pride or conquest, Kais fights for the Greater Good.

Greater Daemons:

**Great Unclean Ones:** Massive, bloated disease carriers, whose decaying flesh bulges with corpulent cancers. They usually carry a titanic rusted blade into battle. They generally act as the leaders and father figures for the other daemons, epitomizing Nurgle's joyful, paternal nature. Due to their bloated bodies Great Unclean Ones are extremely hard to kill

**Bloodthirster**: A Greater Daemon, the ultimate incarnation of the power of the Chaos God known as Khorne. An enormous Daemon, with bat-like wings that span 30 to 40 feet, hoof-like feet, bull-like horns on either side of its head and carries a huge Double-bladed axe and sometimes a whip, the Bloodthirster inspires fear just laying eyes upon it. The Bloodthirster is the most powerful daemon of Khorne.

**Avatar of Khaine**: The only Daemon the Eldar are known to use, it towers many stories above the battle field, is covered in holy flames and carries am enormous sword known as the Wailing Doom, and it is the Eldar's most powerful attacker and is their symbol of war.

**Daemon Prince**: the ultimate goal of any Chaos Lord is to become the nigh unbeatable Daemon prince. While not as big as greater demons, it is, without a doubt, FAR more powerful. It carries a large daemonic sword and is one of the most powerful daemons that the Chaos forces are able to summon to our plain.


	2. Planet Fall

**Chapter 1: Planet Fall **

The Dark Seraphim's First Fleet Daemon-Slayer-class battleship, The _Seraphim's Blade, _and its fleet which comprised of three Angel-class cruisers; the _Nagglfar, _the_ Einhauser _andthe_ Deus Halo_, eight Lord-class frigates and two Oracle-class carriers, plunged through the Immaterium at terrible speeds. Their destination; the planet Kronus. Their objective; securing it in the name of the Dark Seraphim. The fleet was at maximum alert and prepared to enter the fray the instant they left warp. Halcyon-class heavy fighters were loaded with munitions. Stork dropships were loaded with marines and vehicles and the Seed transports were loaded with structures which the Dark Seraphim forces would need once they hit planet side.

On the _Blade's _bridge the commander of the Kronus forces, Sabre, a huge 3.1 meter tall super-warrior, was in his command-level _HellKnight_ armor and was anxiously awaiting their exit from warp speed. His silver-red eyes scanned the bridge of his ship, secretly pleased that his crew was just as ready as he was to begin the battle.

"How long until we exit warp?" He inquired. A helmswoman shot him a look out of the corner of her eye and glanced at the chronometer.

"5 minutes" she said flatly.

_**Excellent**_. He unconsciously flexed his fingers in anticipation. No matter how hard he tried he could not completely subdue his lust for battle even after being saved from the corruption of the Warp.

He shot a glance at his XO, a woman named Rose, she too was fitted into her armor; it was a smaller, slightly more slender version of the one he wore. Her red, mid-back length hair was tied up and her tan skin appeared darkened by the red glow that permeated the bridge. Her dark grey eyes were like a hawk scanning for even the tiniest error.

"Exiting warp…. Now."

Without warning, the Se_raphim's Blade_ shuddered as stray fire impacted against the fore and starboard.

"Shields up! NOW!" Sabre roared as another salvo that was intended for them impacted against the bow and sent shudders throughout the ship.

"The _Nagglfar _has been destroyed!" one of the officers yelled. A small holo-screen appeared on the left side of the bridge showing the cruiser had been gutted by stray fire before it could get its shields up. Sabre felt a sharp pang in his heart; he had known the captain of the _Nagglfar_ very well. He would be missed, but now wasn't the time to grieve.

"Load torpedoes! Prepare all batteries! Launch fighters!" He barked.

"Instruct the _Deus Halo _and_ Einhauser _to attack at flank speed! We will do the same! Frigates will form alongside the _Seraphim's Blade_ and provide suppression fire!" He inhaled quickly.

"Inform carriers to launch fighters at a distance and close in when the opportunity presents itself. We must punch through as quickly as possible and provide a safe passage for the surface team!"

The crew was already scrambling to carry out their commander's orders before he finished them. Their opponent, it seemed, was an Imperial Emperor-class battleship. It was turning away from the wreckage of a Tau Hero-class starship. Signs of damage were evident on its hull. Even so, they were determined to meet the Dark Seraphim forces head on. They opened up with a wave of torpedoes followed by heavy lance fire. The Imperial Battleship's fire was true and hit the _Blade_, searing into the shields and damaging several areas.

"FIRE!!"

The _Blade_ trembled slightly as the ships forward torpedo tubes launched a salvo of Harbringer class torpedoes. It followed up by firing its forward lance turrets and its three stern mounted bombardment cannons. Most of the torpedoes and two of the three bombardment shots missed altogether. The lances, however, hit the ship and severed its dorsal fin. The Imperial warship continued toward the _Blade_, unabated by the horrendous amounts of fire directed at it.

"It's going to broadside us!" a helmsman howled.

Indeed, the battleship was turning to the _Blade's _port, opening up with its rail guns and a hand- full of lances.

"Load port torpedo tubes! Arm rail guns and laser cannons! Order the frigates to break off and attack!" Sabre barked off without hesitation. "Have the _Deus Halo _and _Einhauser_ flank the enemy!"

The _Blade_ shook violently as the Emperor launched a salvo of torpedoes, lasers and lances into its side, knocking Rose off her feet. Sabre just managed to catch her before she hit the deck.

"Damage report!" he barked.

"There's damage to the port lance batteries and the number 3 Nova cannon is off-line! Deck 34 and 35 on the portside are heavily damaged and the shields are down to 34!"

"Damn," he muttered. "What about the portside torpedo launchers?"

There was a moment's pause, then "tubes 2 and 3 are damaged, but the others are operational."

Sabre narrowed his eyes. "It'll have to do. Where are the _Halo _and _Einhauser_?"

"They're coming about sir and are arming weapons!"

The _Deus Halo _and_ Einhauser_ maneuvered behind the Emperor Battleship and opened up with their lances and torpedoes. The frigates, likewise, were surrounding the battleship and firing rail guns and torpedoes into the warship in a desperate attempt to defend the _Blade. _

"Sir! The battleship is preparing another salvo! We can't take a direct hit at this range!!" One of the helmsman screamed above the wailing damage alarms. Rose shot him a worried look.

"Load torpedoes, and prepare all portside weapons." He said. "FIRE!"

The torpedoes tore from their bays and found their mark. The Emperor had just opened its torpedo bays when it took the salvo full on. The explosions from the Blade's torpedoes and laser cannons coupled with the equipment inside the Emperor tore the ship open from inside out. Warheads exploded and the munitions and fuel rods detonated, sending shockwaves throughout the massive beast completely gutting it. Horrendous explosions in its side sent it tumbling away from the Dark Seraphim fleet before being engulfed in a brilliant orange fireball.

"We're still going to deploy ground forces," Rose said. It was a statement, not a question. She knew her admiral well enough to know he wasn't going to back off because of something like this.

Sabre nodded. "No turning back now. Inform the carriers to begin their approach and deploy dropships. The _Blade_ will do the same. When all Dropships are safely away, the fleet will jump out and return to the _Dammerung_." He got a handful of shocked looks from the bridge crew, including his XO. He smirked. "Once ground forces are deployed, there will be little point in the fleet staying here. The _Blade_ has suffered extensive damage and we've lost most of our fighter cover and one of our cruisers, leaving us at a glaring disadvantage. I will not risk the fleet in some pointless attempt to gain orbital superiority when we are clearly out-gunned and out-numbered. Take us in and prepare to deploy."

With that said he spun around and moved swiftly out the bridge doors with Rose close behind him. It took the pair only minutes to reach the hangar where the dropships were located. Several munitions racks and cargo haulers where tossed about the flight deck, but the tech crew was already cleaning them up and securing them.

"Dropships are prepped and ready to go sir." The chief tech called out. "We'll launch as soon as you're ready." Sabre nodded his acknowledgment and proceeded to the nearest dropship.

Captain Uziel Martinez, another of the _HellKnights_, was standing at the bottom of the ramp with a smirk on his face. He produced Sabre's heavy vulcan rifle and chainsword, his smirk becoming a grin. "Thought you might want these, sir."

Sabre raised an eyebrow. "You read my mind." he said, taking the rifle in one hand and

The chainsword in the other. "Are the men ready for the worst?"

Martinez nodded. 'They're more than a little excited,' He threw a wink at Rose. "Not everyday the Admiral leads the first wave. They wanna make ya proud."

Sabre strapped his chainsword to his back. "I'm sure they do." The trio ascended the ramp and stopped next to an Elephant Personnel Carrier.

The ramp slid up and the dropship hangar doors slammed shut, sealing the troops and signaling the go-for-launch. Sabre donned his helmet and glanced around. Marines clad in heavy flak armor were strapping on the last of their gear and checking their weapons before the coming battle. Sabre noted that there were several Dragoon heavy infantry present in the hold and they appeared to be slightly worried. The hold shuddered slightly as the dropship lifted off the flight deck and headed toward Kronus.

Sabre moved quickly towards the cockpit. The cockpit was dark, except for the red glow that the console lights threw off. "How long until we hit planet side?"

The pilot shot a look at the chronometer. "About 20 minutes." He turned back to the hold, but before he could get to the doorway, there was a blinding flash and then semi-darkness fell upon the cockpit once more. "The _Seraphim's Blade_ has warped out of the battle zone sir." He nodded and continued down the stairwell.

"All right maggots," Martinez was shouting at the marines. "We're touching down in a hot zone!" he stepped toward a gun rack nestled in the corner and picked up his own Heavy Vulcan rifle. "The instant the Elephants arrive at their destinations and those doors open, pick you target and take them down as quickly as possible! Watch each others back and use cover accordingly. Intelligence says Tau presence in the Agamar Desert is middle-class at worst. Watch out for Crisis Suits!"

The ship rumbled slightly. They had broken through the atmosphere.

"Alright, load up and hang on to yer butts," The marines murmured acknowledgements and moved to their respective transports. Martinez walked up to Sabre with a serious look on his face. "We're ready to go."

Sabre nodded, loaded a magazine into his rifle and proceeded to the Elephant at the end of the transport. He, Uziel and Rose settled on the bench at the back of the Elephant and waited silently as marines filed in, took their seats and loaded their weapons. The personnel carrier's hatch closed with a hiss and plunged the inside into darkness; the only thing that was visible were the marines' helmets glowing silver eyes. Sabre unhooked his helmet from his hip and slid it on. There was a faint click and whirring as the latches grasped the helmet and sealed the suit. The helmet's optics came on-line with a quiet whir. Ten red glyphs winked into existence on his visor, one for each high ranking individual within one kilometer of him. Captain Uziel, Vice-Admiral Rosenthal, and Dragoon Captain Maximillian Garret were in the same Elephant he was. The other seven that were from the _Blade_ were General Mario Nightone, Dragoon Captain Scott Wheeler, Dragoon General Markus Simon, Walker Master Jack Malthis, Armor Master Alisa Mathus, General Matthias Karsky and Dragoon Colonel Victor Walker.

The transport bucked and rolled a little bit, indicating they were about to land. Martinez donned his helmet and rolled his head a bit when it was attached. "Game time maggots."

The Elephant shuddered slightly as the dropship hit the dirt hard and the bay doors opened. The Elephant spurred forward, sending vibrations throughout the hold.

"We'll be arriving at our destination in five minutes." The driver called back. The sound of rifles being primed in unison filled the air, indicating the readiness of the marines.

Then all hell broke loose.

Tau pulse blasts ripped through the armor of the Elephant, sending sparks and shards of armor flying everywhere.

"Son of a bitch!"

Sabre looked up in time to see another salvo rip through the cockpit and right through the driver. The Elephant began to accelerate out of control.

"Hang on!"

The transport shook violently as it ran over the rocky terrain and slammed into a rock formation. The impact shock threw the surviving occupants to the floor and against the walls. More pulse fire tore into the transport, catching several marines in the chest and head sending blood, bits of bone and pulpy mass splattering everywhere. One of the bodies landed on top of Sabre.

"Get that hatch open!" He snarled as he shoved the body off. The soldiers didn't need to be told that; they were already in the process of activating the hatch's emergency release. He glanced around and saw that Rose was a bit disoriented, but otherwise ok. Martinez was likewise ok, but was furious over the loss of his men. Pulse fire continued to tear through the hull of the transport which gave the marines an incentive to move faster. There was a loud hiss as the override released the hatch locks. The nearest marine threw his weight against the hatch to open it, but to no avail.

"Move." Sabre snapped. He flexed his armored fingers, balled them into a fist, and drove his arm through the hatch. The motors in his suit groaned slightly as he bent his arm up and throwing most of his weight into his back, pulled back and tore the hatch right off the track.

"Take cover!" Martinez bellowed.

The surviving marines jumped through the hatch, and fired on the Tau snipers that were positioned along a ridge to the northwest of the crash. Pulse blasts whizzed past them and kicked up dirt all around them. Sabre was firing his heavy vulcan rifle even as he hit the ground. The 25mm explosive spikes it fired easily made mincemeat out of any Tau that was unlucky enough to be hit by them. The Tau were utterly relentless and for every sniper they killed, 3 more took their place.

"We need reinforcements!" Sabre barked over the howling winds and weapons fire. Martinez nodded from his cover and activated the vox in the collar of his suit.

"This is Captain Uziel Martinez, my squad and I are pinned down by heavy Tau fire, request immediate reinforcements." His vox only replied with the pop and crackle of static. "Damn it," he mutter somberly. "The storm is interfering with the com system. We're on our own."

Sabre didn't say anything and instead fired a burst into the Tau ranks. "We'll just have to hold out then," he said, leaning up against a boulder. "How many are left Rose?"

She tilted her head out of cover for a moment before snapping it back. "About twenty-three." He motioned his hand in a spread out gesture and indicated to Martinez and the others to shoot-to-kill. They nodded and took their positions. He tilted his head out from his cover just barely enough to see the enemy positions. The Tau snipers were Fire Warriors, with the occasional stealth suit. He leaned back into cover and motioned to the others to fire on his mark. He lifted his hand and counted down. 3... 2... 1. He leapt from his cover, already firing at the nearest Tau, the sound of vulcan and pulse fire filling the air. The Tau, with their somewhat frailer bodies, fell easier to the Dark Seraphim's fire, but their numbers insured that they didn't go down without inflicting losses of their own. One of the marines to Sabres left lost his left arm, some of his chest cavity and his head to the horrendous amounts of pulse fire coming from the dwindling Tau. Blood and bits of bones exploded out his back as he fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

Sabre grunted a curse and stripped a fist-sized grenade from his hip plate. "Martinez, let's illuminate them." Uziel nodded in agreement and likewise stripped a grenade from his hip plate. They slapped their grenades into the grenade launcher attachment underneath the heavy vulcan in unison and took aim.

"Fire!" He barked as they squeezed the attachment's separate trigger and launched the grenades into the Tau ranks. The Tau realized too late what had been fired at them and before they could scatter, the grenades hit and sent them flying, dead or dying. Sparse cheers went up and few actually dared to entertain thoughts that things would go well from then on.

They were wrong.

A fusion cannon beam came out of nowhere and blew straight through the chest cavity of a marine, sending the others scrambling for cover. The last look on the marine's face was that of horror, before a salvo of heavy pulse blasts impacted against him, turning him into a bloody mess of a corpse. Martinez swore as he hit the dirt to avoid the incoming fire.

"Crisis suits!" someone yelled above the howl of the wind. He rolled onto his side and saw the trio of crisis suits descending on plumes of fire.

"Fire damnit!" Sabre roared.

Martinez tracked the suit in the middle and opened up with his heavy vulcan, the shots missing it by a margin. The suits set down hard, laying into the Seraphim forces with rockets and fusion cannon fire with unrelenting fury. He continued his assault on his target, some of his shots bouncing off the corners of the suit and impacting against dirt. The suit turned away from the others and started toward him, firing with reckless abandon. A fusion beam narrowly missed the side of his helm and gouged a chunk out of the ground. He rolled out of the way just as another beam impacted where he had been a moment ago.

"Bastard." he snarled as he ejected the empty drum magazine and slammed in a fresh one while avoiding a third shot that grazed his left shoulder, smoldering the steel-ceramic pauldron just slightly. He carefully took aim at the chest of the Crisis Suit and fired. The shells slammed into the armored torso of the suit and caused it to rock back on its heels. It was unable to regain its balance and fell onto its back with a dull thud. Martinez was drawing his chainsword and thumbing the activation stud even as he got to his feet. Before he was even fully upright, he threw himself upon the suit with a howl of defiance and drove the roaring blade into its chest, the adamantine teeth tearing through armor and ripping into the soft Tau flesh beneath, sending small amounts of cyan-colored blood spurting from the open wound.

Martinez pulled his blade from the dead Tau and re-sheathed it. He turned to see the other two suits in a crumpled heap. Sabre planted his left foot on the one farthest from Martinez and fired two shots directly into the head of the suit. The suit spasmed and then lay still.

Sabre surveyed the battle site with an eye of disdain; several more marines had fallen from rockets taken to the chest or stomachs, the Elephant had been seared to a burnt metal husk by fusion fire and was damaged beyond repair.

Before he could issues further orders, a feral inhuman howl tore through the air, surprising most of the survivors. Sabre's head snapped around toward the origin of the sound and cursed violently, Kroot Carnivores lined the ridge accompanied by several entrenched Broadsides.

"No matter how many we kill, they continue to come! They spawn like maggots!" Uziel snarled. "They will kill us all and strip us to the bone before it ends!"

"They will try and they will fail!" Sabre howled as the Kroot leapt from the cliff and into the Seraphim's midst. "Rose, Martinez, take the Broadsides!" He unstrapped his own chainsword, thumbed the activation stud and drove the roaring blade into the sternum of the Kroot that landed in front of him, not even giving it a chance to react. It snarled violently at him as he pressed his rifle against its head and blew the top half off in a spray of blood and brain matter. He tossed the corpse aside and waded into the battle, howling damnation at the Tau all the while.

Maximillian Garret, a Dragoon Captain, spat a litany of curses as the Kroot began to butcher the survivors. He raised his power sword over his head and eviscerated a leaping Kroot and fired his plasma pistol at another that had tried to get him from behind. He had lost his personnel lascannon somewhere and was now relying on his less-than-favored plasma gun to dispatch targets at a range.

"The captain is right," a marine to his left muttered. "They're like maggots. There's no end to them."

Garret nodded in agreement as he ran his power sword through the neck of another oncoming Kroot. "They throw themselves at our weapons like rabid prey-beasts! What are they thinking?

The marine grunted something indistinct and fired his vulcan into the Kroot ranks. Garret turned his eye to the cliff where the aliens had descended from; the two _HellKnights _were having a difficult time with the Broadsides because of the rail guns mounted on the suits armor. **We need to help them.** he thought bitterly as he turned on a nearby Kroot and drove his power sword through its throat.

Sabre emptied the last of his current clip into the abdomen of a charging Kroot, pausing only briefly to eject his rifle's spent drum-magazine and slap in another one. He glanced toward the ridge and saw that Martinez and Rose were having some difficulty with the Broadsides because the threat that the rail guns held. The storm was starting to abate and the com interference it brought was lessening. He activated the vox on his suits inner collar; "This is Sabre, my unit is being overwhelmed by Tau forces and we need immediate reinforcements." Again, the only thing that came back was the pop and crackle of static. **Damn.**

He turned just in time for a Kroot Shaper to knock his rifle out of his hand and tackle him to the ground. His arms shot out and took hold of its staff before it could bring it to bear on him. The alien struggled to wrest it free from his grip, but to no avail. He rolled and managed to get in on its back where he leaned all his weight in an effort to push the staff against its throat. It snarled something he didn't catch, then brought it leg up between them and kicked him off. He flew a few feet and landed on his back hard. He grunted and rolled out of the way a split second before it drove its spear into the ground where he had been a moment ago. His free hand shot out and took hold of the Kroot's staff and held it tight. He slammed his knee into the Kroot's spear arm and snapped it in half. It fell back, clutching its arm and screamed in agony. His chainsword roared to life as he thumbed the activation stud and squeezed the primer trigger in the hilt. Sabre brought the sword down and cleanly cut the Shaper's head off. He grunted as he kicked the corpse away, then wadded back into the battle, chainsword roaring and heavy vulcan firing.

Rosenthal ducked behind a boulder as a rail slug flew past her head. She leaned out just slightly, took aim with her bolter and fired. Bolters were hardly used anymore by the Dark Seraphim because of the newer, more deadly vulcan weapons, but they were still used by people who preferred its smaller design and slightly higher accuracy. The shots pinged off the edges of the Broadside's armor and impacted into the dirt. The Broadside, in turn, aimed its dual rail guns and fired. The blue white beams tore from the barrels with a thunderous roar and tore into the boulder she was hiding behind. She raised her hand to shield her head as chunks of rock pattered and bounced off her armor.

Across from her, Uziel was crouching behind another boulder, he armor seared and dented in several places. He leaned out of cover and opened up with his heavy vulcan. The shots slammed into the rail gun barrel of the left hand Broadside and completely shredded it. In response, it ripped out of its dug in stance and started to fire rockets in his direction, creating miniature craters and gouging chunks out of the boulders that littered the area.

"I think you pissed it off." she hissed into the vox.

"_Thank you for pointing out the blatantly obvious Rose. I would never have guessed without your astute observation!" _ Uziel snapped as he dove from cover to avoid the rockets. _"Hey, hey, you shoulda been a dedicated observer instead of vice-admiral eh?"_

She rolled her eyes, calmly targeted the Broadside's left leg joint and fired. The bolter howled as round after round tore from the barrel and slammed into the joint. The Broadside sagged to the left enough to cause its next salvo to miss her just slightly. She didn't even flinch as a beam gouged a chunk out of her left pauldron. Rose dropped to crouch and fired again. The .75 rounds impacted the Broadside's left side and cracked the armored plating, causing it to drop to its knees. She smiled thinly, drew the force knife that was sheathed on the left side of her breastplate and dashed toward the wounded Broadside.

Uziel grunted and rolled to his right as the Broadside made an effort to smack him with its left missile pod. His left arm shot and caught its right pod as it started to swing. With a visible force of effort, he pushed it back and got to his feet in one swift, fluid movement. He leveled his heavy vulcan at its right pod and fired five times into its shoulder joint. The 25mm rounds slammed into the joint and severed it completely, send it tumbling down the side of the ridge. Dropping his weapon, he drew his chainsword and slammed it into its face with all the strength he could muster. The weapon roared and screeched as it bit through the armor and mutilated the Tau within. He could hear its scream as cyan blood and sparks erupted from the suit. He gave it a vicious kick and sent it tumbling down the side of the cliff and slamming into a rock formation at the base of the ridge.

"That's how the _HellKnights_ fight you bastard!!" He howled, arms above his head, chainsword screaming.

"_Rose, Uziel, get back down here!"_ Sabre snapped over vox.

"_A little busy at the moment sir."_ Rose responded, sounding just a bit miffed.

Martinez chuckled as he started back toward the main battle. "No worries, we just finished dancing with those broadsides." He picked up his heavy vulcan and broke into a jog, sheathing his chainsword as he went.

"_Stop screwing around Uziel, this neither the time nor the place."_

"_Sorry sir."_ Martinez said, sounding more than a little shocked at the Commander's sudden harshness.

Rose withdrew her force knife from the Tau pilot's throat, removed the blood with a flick of her wrist, and smoothly slid it back into its sheath. She spun on her heel, and moved back towards the main battle. Without the Broadside's support fire, the Kroot warriors would be at the mercy of long-range fire from her and Martinez. She counted ten rounds left in her Bolter and decided to play it safe by ejecting it and slapping in a fresh one. She heard semi-distant thuds and explosions. It was very sudden and brief and she would have dismissed it as grenades had they not come from her left flank.

From Uziel's direction.

"_Bastards!"_ Captain Martinez's voice was angry and surprised at the same times.

"What's wrong Captain?" Rose feared the worst: it took a great deal to anger and surprise Uziel at the same time.

"_Middle-class threat my ass! Those idiots in Intelligence couldn't give accurate recon if it their lives depended on it!"_

"_Calm down captain, what's going on?"_ Sabre's voice was pressing.

"_The Tau are sending in a LOT of reinforcements!"_

"_Define "a lot", Sir."_ Rose recognized Dragoon Captain Garret's voice right away.

"_Three Hammerheads, six Broadsides -"_ His voice was cut off, followed by several more explosions. Rose wasn't going to wait for him to finish and sprinted off in his direction. Uziel's glyph flashed red as she made her way toward him. He was still alive. For the moment.

"_They're sending around thirty Fire Warriors and more Crisis Suits than I care to face."_ Uziel's voice was distorted slightly by static

"_How many?"_

"How does ten sound?" She had a visual and the weight of how desperate the situation had suddenly become crashed down on her. She ignored the feeling and fired her bolter at the ranks of Fire Warriors. Several of the Fire Warriors were caught with her first salvo and went down in a spray of cyan-colored blood. The others quickly scattered and opened fire with withering amounts of pulse fire. She threw herself behind an outcropping of boulders and hit the dirt with a grunt, not even hesitating as she drew a bead on the closet Fire Warrior. She squeezed the trigger and loosed several volleys. The shots were true and turned the Warriors helmet and face into a pulpy mess. She caught sight of a burst of light to her far right.

Uziel.

Sabre suppressed a frown of agitation. Three Hammerheads, six Broadsides, ten Crisis Suits and several squads of Fire Warriors. And still no reply from any of the other units that had been deployed in the Agamar Desert. Had they been eliminated? No, he wasn't about to entertain that thought. It was very unlikely, if not impossible, that twelve thousand marines, a thousand Dragoons, two hundred and thirty seven tanks, and four hundred twenty five walkers had been destroyed before planet fall. He pushed aside the doubt and slapped a fresh barrel-magazine in his Heavy Vulcan. "Spread out and take cover." he said, sweeping his arm around him. The survivors nodded and made their way toward the rock formations and the Elephant wreckage. Dragoon Captain Maximillian Garret stood next to him, cradling his recovered lascannon.

"It's gonna be a hell of a fight sir," he said somberly.

Sabre nodded. "Aye, but have you ever known the Tau to go halfway when they feel they are threatened?"

Garrets features turned more worried, but he said nothing.

Several explosions echoed across the landscape, each louder than the last. The sounds of the battle were getting closer.

"Rose, Martinez, are you in a position to retreat?"

There was silence for several brief seconds, then: _"Aye commander, but these xenos bastards aren't gonna let us go easily."_ Rose sounded like she was talking through her teeth.

"Pull back when you can, bring them to us," he hesitated for a moment. "Be careful you two."

More explosions, much closer this time, then the unmistakable howl of a heavy vulcan and bolter being fired on full auto.

"_Aw, how sweet, he cares about us,"_ Sabre frowned as Uziel added on the sickeningly sweet sarcasm. _"Maybe he really does love us."_ He finished with a cackle.

Sabre suppressed a groan; he would kick Uziel's ass later, right now they had to finish this skirmish before they all died. He and Garret broke into a jog and ducked behind a tri-spiked rock formation.

Garret gave him a side-long glance. "How to do you put up with that man and not want to kill him?"

He shrugged. " I don't know Captain, I honestly don't."

"_Here they come!"_

Sabre brought himself into a kneel and leveled his rifle at the ridge just as Rose and Uziel vaulted over the edge. They hit the dirt rolling and then were running. Sabre saw the smoke of Crisis Suits igniting their jump packs. All ten rose up over the crest of the ridge and fired with ruthless precision. A fusion from one tore through the rock and split a marine to his left of him in half at the stomach, his death not even having time to register on the poor man's face as his upper torso fell to the ground and his other half standing for a moment with blood shooting upward like a geyser and spattering on Sabre's and Garret's armor.

"Bloody hell! They surely mean to end us without asking for surrender!" cried the fallen marine's comrade that had been to his right.

Sabre glowered at him, his helm's glowing red eye's making him that much more imposing. "And what would you have done if they had offered surrender!?" he snarled coldly.

The man flinched, but remained unwavering. "I would have spit at them and fought to my last!" He replied matter-of-factly. He turned his attention back to the enemy and fired.

The Crisis Suits landed directly behind the two fleeing _HellKnights_ and continued to fire their lethal payload. By some act of fate or perhaps the Emperor truly was a god and was watching over them, the shots did not connect and Uziel and Rose were able to make it to cover.

Almost.

Uziel was right behind her, firing his heavy vulcan behind him as they ran. He could hear the Crisis Suits land behind them and he could see their muzzle flashes out of the corner of his vision.

**Damn, this is gonna be close. REALLY close.** He thought bitterly, as he stripped his last grenade from his hip and slapped it into the under-muzzle grenade launcher. **Last resort.**

They were twenty meters from cover, he could see the commander's face plate in-between the closet rock formation, the bladed back-curved horn the forehead of his helmet standing out noticeably. He and the fifteen other survivors scattered throughout the area were firing past them in an attempt to draw the Crisis Suit's fire.

They were successful. For the most part.

A stray rail beam tore past him and tore through Rose's left side with the force of a sledgehammer. Part of her steel-ceramic armor melted and gave way, burning out a chunk in her left side. She cried out in pain and hit the dirt, skidding a few feet.

"NO!" Uziel cried out.

Uziel dropped into a roll, spun himself around and dropped into a kneeling position while firing the entire time. A lucky salvo punctured the suit nearest him and sent it crashing to its knees. He looked past them and saw that the Broadsides were entrenching themselves on the ridge, preparing their lethal cannons. The Tau Fire Warriors were amongst them, kneeling and taking aim, the Hammerheads couldn't be far behind. A normal man would have given into despair, but not he. He had fought the xenos and traitor legions for more than four hundred years. He had seen horrors most could not dream of. This was nothing in comparison. Unfortunately, this nothing was going to end them if they didn't get help. The Fire Warriors and Broadsides opened up with withering sheet of pulse fire and rail beams. He stood up in time to take a trio of pulse blasts to the chest. He staggered a little from the concussive force of the pulse fire, but otherwise remained standing. His chest plate absorbed most of the attack, but he still felt his skin sear and crackle a little. Ignoring the pain, he took aim with his rifle and squeezed the secondary trigger. The fist-sized grenade slammed into the ridge and blew a few of the Fire Warriors back, but otherwise did nothing.

One of the Crisis Suit's rockets impacted in front of him and sent him flying a few yards. He landed on his shoulder and grimaced as he heard a sickening crack. He instinctively knew that his armor was reaching it stress limit and rolled onto his back, his body wracked with unimaginable pain. He had lost his rifle in his flight through the air and now only had his chainsword. He was on his feet as fast he could manage, but he saw that it was pointless: the Fire Warriors were descending the hill with the Hammerheads right behind him. One of the Crisis Suits approached him and primed its weapons. He drew his chainsword and thumbed the activation stud, not willing to give into the despair and fight to the end. He was about to charge when a grenade flew past his head from behind and detonated right in the suits face, turning it into a small fireball. He turned around bewildered, and saw Sabre, standing there with a smoking heavy vulcan in his right hand, a Bolter in his left, and an unconscious Rose slung over his massive shoulders.

"Move!" he roared.

Uziel ran, with Sabre right behind him.

Garret saw them coming and opened fire with his lascannon scoring a searing blow against a pursuing Crisis Suit sending it rocking back just slightly. He had to duck as pulse fire and rail gun beams flew past his head. The commander and captain vaulted over the rock formation and landed hard next to him. Sabre gently lay Rose against the rock and rested her bolter on her lap.

"Damn it!" Uziel snarled. "This is ridiculous! There's no end to them!" He turned toward Rose. "How is she?"

Garret removed her helmet and shook his head. "I'm no Apothecary, but I can tell you it's not good: her left primary lung is almost gone, her Larraman's Organ is damaged and is having trouble producing the Larraman Cells, she's bleeding badly. If we don't get her to an Apothecary soon, there's a good possibility she will die."

Uziel looked ready to say something, but Sabre shook his head. "There's nothing we can do at the moment Uziel."

"But..!"

"But nothing Captain," Sabre hissed, empathizing heavily on Uziel's rank. "The sooner we end this, the sooner we can find an apothecary and get her help. Snarling and snapping isn't going to help her anymore than sitting here and doing nothing." He hauled Uziel to his feet and handed him his plasma pistol. "Fight."

Martinez wanted to help her, but his commander was right: the sooner this battle was done, the sooner they could get help and get her healed. He nodded and took Sabre's pistol in hand. He stood up and took aim at the advancing Tau and fired.

Sabre couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. They were losing, there was no getting around it. The squad was down to seven marines, two Dragoons and he, Uziel and Rose, although Rose, in her incapacitated state couldn't be counted. He fired over the rocks and took down several Fire Warriors. But the Hammerheads were advancing steadily, raining down heavier firepower than the Broadsides, Fire Warriors and Crisis Suits could put together, several of their salvos turning four of the marine element of the squad into a bloody mess of bones, gore and organs.

He fired a salvo at the Crisis Suits as they ignited their jump packs again, spreading out to deal with the surviving forces. He had to jump back to avoid being slammed into by one. "Scatter!" he roared into his vox. The Crisis Suit, which was taller than him by a few centimeters lunged forward, swinging its right arm rocket pod, which took him off guard seeing as how the Tau themselves hated close combat. The pod slammed into him and sent him to the ground. He tried to get up before it could take advantage of the situation, but the suit planted its foot on his chest plate enough to pin him, but not enough to crush him. He reached for his vulcan, but the suit fired a rocket at it. The rocket impacted a few inches short and the splash caused the weapon to fly through the air and land somewhere else. The suit then leveled the fusion cannon on its left arm, the cannon crackling with energy.

The crackling energy reached a climax and right as it was about to fire, he heard a monstrous boom. For a brief moment, he thought it was one of the Hammerheads firing its rail cannons, but the thought died as quickly as it was born. The Crisis Suit went flying several meters with a huge smoking hole in its chest and crashed into the rock formation he had been taking cover behind. Sabre was on his feet in a flash, briefly bewildered as he look in the direction the shot had come from.

He couldn't keep the smile from his face: A Venom super-heavy tank, three Tiger heavy tanks, five Reaver walkers and two Elephant were coming at them full bore, firing at the Tau with a vengeance that could not be matched.

"_Looks like you could use a hand there sir."_ He immediately recognized Armor Master Alisa Mathus's satiny purr of a voice.

"You don't know the half of it. Is there an Apothecary aboard one of those Elephants?"

The Venom fired its dual-barrel Apocalypse anti-tank turret and caught one of the Hammerheads in the core. The tank sagged to the ground and then exploded into a brilliant fireball.

"_Indeed, in fact we have two."_

"Good, we have wounded that require immediate attention." He said curtly. He drew his chainsword and thumbed the stud.

"_Roger that. We'll deploy as soon as possible."_

Sabre spun on his heel and charged into the fray.

Uziel snapped the Fire Warrior's neck and threw him at his comrades. In turn they raised their pulse rifles as one and fired. He dropped into a crouch a split second before the shots connected and fired his plasma pistol at the nearest Fire Warrior and turned it into a charred corpse. He started to squeeze the trigger to fire another one when the pistol beeped harshly indicating it was drained.

"Damn." He snarled as he dropped the pistol and unslung his chainsword for what may have been the last time.

His Lyman's implant picked up a deep whine and dropped to the ground as the whine became a roar and torrents of gatling vulcans tore past him in a sweeping motion and decimated the Fire Warriors in a brutal display of power. He looked up and suppressed a chuckle as the Fire Warriors - or what was left of them - collapsed to the ground. He twisted his head around and looked behind him: five Reaver walkers stood in V formation, their arm-mounted gatling vulcans still spinning, waiting to unleash their lethal payload again. Uziel stood up and raised his fist in the air in a gesture of gratitude. The Reavers plodded past and began opening fire upon the Crisis Suits with gatling vulcans and back-mounted missiles.

He turned and hurried back to where Rose was. When he got to her, her eyes were half open and her features contorted in pain.

He knelt down next to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "You hanging in there?"

She looked right at him. "I've been better," she said, shifting slightly and resting her hand on her Bolter.

He smirked and stood up. "Reinforcements have finally arrived, and they got a couple of Apothecaries." She nodded her understanding.

Her eyes narrowed slightly and her grip on the Bolter tightened as Uziel whipped around in time to parry a blow from a wounded Kroot survivor. He slammed his armored fist into the Kroot's chest and sent if off balance. The Kroot recovered faster than he had anticipated and plunged its spear into his chest. With a visible grunt of effort, he gripped the spear and punched it with his free hand. The beast leaned to the left, dodging the punch and trying to wrest the spear from his grip. It twisted the spear and finally pulled it free, but before it could bring it to bear, there was a loud, sharp bang and suddenly its chest cavity exploded in burst of blood and bone and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

He winced as he turned to look at Rose. Her face was set in a grimace and her bolter was still smoking.

"Thanks, I could've taken him though." He said, with a touch of hurt in his voice.

She shrugged but said nothing as an Elephant rolled to a stop in front of them.

Sabre ran his chainsword into the sternum of a Fire Warrior straggler and crushed the skull of another in his gauntleted fist. He hadn't been able to find his rifle anywhere. He would seek it out later. A Broadside landed in front of him and made an attempt to fire its rail cannons. In his fit of blind rage, he drove his chainsword into its gut and slashed upwards as he ripped its left arm off and kicked it viciously in the chest, sending it crashing to ground. A Hammerhead made an attempt to run him over, but it was quickly dispatched by a combined salvo from the Tigers and Reavers.

A Kroot (He had no idea where it came from), lunged at him, spear point outward, but he grabbed the spear just below the tip. Dropping his chainsword, he wrapped his fist around the Kroot's throat and squeezed. It thrashed in his grip, its claws leaving scratches and nicks in his armor. With a hollow snap, the life drained from the alien and it went limp in his grip. But he didn't feel like letting it go; he kept squeezing until he heard a familiar voice behind.

"Commander!"

He finally let the Kroot go and turn around to see Uziel, armor dented, scorched, scratched and covered in several colors of blood. He had removed his helmet and clipped to his waist, and had found both of their rifles somewhere. His black-silver hair was matted with sweat and his blue eyes looked exhausted and sullen

"Uziel," Sabre asked, finally regaining his composure. "What's our status?"

Uziel handed one of the rifles to Sabre and sighed. "Our unit personally, or the landing forces all together?"

"The latter."

Uziel slung his own rifle over his shoulder and shrugged. "According to Alisa, nine Storks and four Seeds were shot down. Nothing the Seeds were carrying was anything major; just some power plants and a vehicle hangar. The nine Storks is another matter though. Four of them had Elephants filled with marines, dragoons and apothecaries, two had Reaver walkers, one had a pair of Cicadas, one had a Venom and the last had medical and food supplies."

Sabre dug his fanged canines into his lip. "Deploy what buildings we have in a strategic position and deploy forces accordingly. And Uziel, how is the Vice-Commander?"

Uziel allowed a grim smile. "Well that part is a bit of good news. The Apothecaries said her Larraman's Organ was malfunctioning, but they could heal it no problem. Other than that, she is in prime health, though she will need a day of rest." He chuckled suddenly. "Might need to order her to stay put Sabre. We all know how she is: if she can walk, she'll carry out her duties."

Sabre nodded. "Good, and I agree with you." he said waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Help with base set up and then get some rest. I fear we have a very long way to go before this is all over."

Uziel said nothing and moved off quickly.

Sabre let out an exasperated sigh: He truly hated to admit it, but this skirmish was nothing in comparison to what was yet to come. He only hoped they would come out of it alive and victorious.

To be continued


	3. The Dark Apostle

I do not own Warhammer 40,000 or anything related to warhammer

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Dark Apostle **

Eliphas the Inheritor of the Word Bearer Legion sat atop a small mountain of Adeptus Astartes corpses. A towering 3 meters tall, Eliphas was feared by many, hated by all. As he gazed across the corpse strewn battlefield, one of his forked tongues lashed out and lapped up some of the cold blood from an Astartes helm. Bolts of black lightening shot through the blood colored sky and cast thin shadows on his scarred bald head. He smiled coldly; the servants of the carrion god had dared - _they had dared! _- to attempt an attack on his stronghold. He had personally led the counterattack. He had relished greatly in crushing the skull of the sergeant leading the Astartes warriors; his blood had tasted particularly sweet. He licked his lips, the day was already turning out rather well. He whipped his head around at the sound of ceramic plates being crushed behind him.

Towering over him was the 3.4 meter tall Dark Apostle, Drach'More the Herald of Death of the Word Bearer legion, clad in Chaos Terminator armor. He had yellowed forward sweeping razor sharp tusks where his cheek bones should be. His left arm was a mass of huge skinless muscles, ending with two foot long bleached bone claws where his fingers should be. In his right hand he clutched his beloved _Drala'Fhel_, a daemon-possessed sword of immense power, instead of an Accursed Crozius. The _Drala'Fhel_ was a 2 meter long, rust brown sword with several sharp curved spikes on both sides of the blade. He was entirely bald, with long blackened scars reaching from the back of his head to just above his eyes. One of the scars reached over his right eye and just touched his throat. His blood-colored eyes were narrow, glowing slits. He was flanked by two Chaos Terminators Lords, each brandishing Reaper Autocannons and daemon weapons of their own.

Suddenly, Eliphas's mood turned foul.

Drach'More grinned, revealing a mouth with far to many razor sharp teeth. "Eliphas, stop wasting time and commence your attack at once. Your men cry for more blood." Because of his teeth and tusks, Drach'More's voice was more of a distorted growl.

Eliphas was on his feet in a flash, crozius in hand. "I do not bow to you, Drach'More," he snarled violently. "I will take this world when I'm ready! You cannot order me about like some damned helot!"

The grin fell from Drach'More's face in an instant and turned into a snarl of rage. He seized Eliphas by the collar of his armor and hauled him up to eye level. "Do not test my limited patience Eliphas, or you will find that the Basilica of Torments was nothing compared to my fury." His slit eyes were glowing a bright crimson. Eliphas bared his fanged teeth as Drach'More tossed him to the ground. He hit the ground with a thud and a snarl. He looked up at Drach'More, his eyes literally crackling with barely contained ire. He quickly got to his feet, but wisely made no hostile move toward the other Dark Apostle.

"I will attack when I'm ready, not before!" Eliphas hissed, spitting acidic bile.

Drach'More leered at him. "You damn well better, I am not known for my patience," He hissed. He then reared to his full height and spun around, his stitched leather skin cloak wrapping around him as if it were alive. "Fortunately for you, I must depart. The Despoiler of Worlds has ordered me to oversee operations elsewhere in preparation for the future." He strode off, his Terminator Lords following behind him like a lethal wake. "You screw this up Eliphas, and the Basilica of Torments will be the least of you worries." He stopped a short distance away and disappeared in shimmering light. He had been teleported back to _The_ _Devourer of Souls_, a Despoiler class battleship hanging in high orbit.

Eliphas was more than a little pleased that Drach'More had left; the two of them had never gotten along, even during the Great Crusade. Before they had turned themselves to the Dark Gods, Eliphas had been a sergeant and Drach'More was Asamar the Third Company Chaplain.

He turned sharply as two figures slowly approached. Antheon and Zapheus, his personal sorcerers. Antheon was the taller of the two, his left eye had been caste from his skull centuries ago by a Ultramarines sergeant. He had long, blood stained hair that was tied back into a crested topknot. He carried his staff by the top, just under the upward scything blades. Zapheus was shorter than either Eliphas or Antheon, but was very skilled in the way of Chaotic Magics. His beady black eyes were piercing and ever-watchful. He was bald and covered in scars and rounded, hard black, pearl-like lesions. He had a third, glowing red eye in the middle of his forehead that pierced even the mightiest spirit. His staff was hanging from his back by a skin leather strap.

"My lord," Zapheus hissed, his voice like grating sandpaper. They both dropped to their knees and bowed to the Dark Apostle.

"What say you?" Eliphas asked, stroking a barbed spike protruding from his chin.

"The Dark God's eyes are upon us, my lord, we must move quickly if we are to secure their favor for this campaign." Antheon said, his voice low, but with unquestionable power behind it.

Eliphas nodded with a feral smile, his foul mood quite forgotten. "Excellent. Antheon, Zapheus gather our forces, we attack at once."

Both Sorcerers nodded, rose and moved off to assemble the dark army.

He kneaded the grip of his Crozius in eagerness. The weapon sensed its master's desires and sighed in anticipation of the coming slaughter.

"Patience," He whispered lovingly to the bloodthirsty weapon. "Patience."

The thumping of boots, whirring of motors and sounds of dirt being flattened beneath iron treads drew his attention to the approaching army. His army. He smiled darkly: Chaos was coming and there wasn't a damned thing anyone on this blighted world could do about it.

Hundreds of Chaos Marines and thousands of daemons, tanks and walkers, waited in eager anticipation for their masters order.

He gave it.

"FORWARD!!" he roared. "IN THE NAME OF THE DARK GODS AND LORGAR, WE WILL TAKE THIS WORLD!!"

The army screamed and howled it's approval. The order was cast, and the unholy army marched forward, chanting blasphemous prayers and damning litanies.

"Magnificence."

Eliphas turned and saw Zapheus standing calmly a few paces away and Antheon kneeling directly in front of him, his warp staff in his left hand and Eliphas's warped bolt pistol in the other. Eliphas took his pistol with loving care: he had possessed this very pistol for over 10,000 years and it was almost as precious to him as his Accursed Crozius was. The pistol's muzzle had transformed, over the millennia, into a screaming petrified, fleshy red daemon's mouth and Eliphas had tied several skulls by chains to the bottom of it's grip.

"FORWARD, FORWARD AND NEVER BACK!!!" He screamed. "WE WILL SOAK THE DIRT WITH THE BLOOD OF THE DEAD IN THE NAME OF CHAOS!!"

The army roared in agreement and the Chaos Marines beat their fists against their armored breasts. Pity the fool who stood against them. Eliphas strode forward, on the cliff next to his unholy forces, Antheon and Zapheus fell in behind him, ever watchful and ready to smote any fool that approached their master.

They marched to the west. Toward Aceria Forest.

The Imperial Guard had set up a large outpost there, and they were apparently well dug in. It mattered little to the Word Bearers.

The dark army fell upon the base just as the blood red sun was starting to rise above the hills. The screams of alarm and terror started mere moments later. It ended in less than two hours.

Khorne Fleshhounds were the first to reach the Imperials lines and wasted no time in tearing the unaware men-prey apart. By the time the forward bunkers fell, the base was on full alert and scrambling to organize themselves in the face of the Enemy of Man. Sentinels stormed out of their hangars and Leman Russ and Hellhounds rolled from their parking bays. Basilisks pivoted their Earthshaker Cannons toward the approaching threat and loaded their huge munitions. A single Baneblade rolled forward, its very presence an inspiring sight for the human Imperial Guardsmen. Kasrkin, Guardsmen and Ogryns poured from the many barracks with intent to fight and kill in the name of God-Emperor.

Commissar Brett Markwell stood atop the Baneblade's turret; his saber raised above his head and laspistol firing into the approaching Traitors and any Imperial that dared falter in the face of the Enemy.

"Forward you dogs!!" He roared at the top of his lungs. "Show the Traitors what it means to fight the 1st Kronus Regiment!!"

Eliphas licked his bloodless lips. That one would taste especially good. "Kill them," he hissed. "Kill them and bring me their corpses."

The once-men whooped and cheered and pressed on, fully intent on carrying out their dark master's wishes. Eliphas threw himself at the head of the attack, eager with the promise of blood. The Imperial Guard were throwing themselves at the attacking Chaos Marines, more out of fear of the Commissar than anything else.

An Ogryn threw itself at him, stabbing with its Ripper gun in a futile attempt to harm the Dark Apostle. He laughed and swept his crozius across the deformed mortal's belly, ripping it open with a spray of blood. The Orgyn released a gurgling moan before falling on its side. His crozius sighed happily as it drank the blood of the slain. He fired his bolt pistol at another Ogryn and sent it tumbling off the ridge. He vaulted over the ridge and landed in the middle of a squad of Guardsmen. He swung his crozius and gutted them with minimal effort. One of them survived and was on his back screaming and begging for mercy as blood poured from his wounds and pooled around him. Eliphas smiled and brought his boot down on the human's face with a wet crunch.

"Forward!" He roared again. "Feed their souls to the Warp!"

A Khorne Berserker sprinted past him, hacking any human that stood before him, his chainaxe roaring and splattering gore everywhere.

"Blood for the Blood God!! Skulls for the Skull Throne!" the berserker screamed manically.

Zapheus was suddenly at his side, or perhaps he had always been there and Eliphas was only know noticing him.

"Dark one," Zapheus hissed.

"Do it sorcerer."

Zapheus nodded and raised his fist straight in front of him, slowly spreading his fingers as he chanted dark incantations. His hand glowed an unholy black and cascading light lashed from his fingers, bathing a portion of the men-prey in shadowy light. A terrifying silence descended upon the battlefield despite the Warp-servants continued slaughter of the Guard.

Then the screams of agony began.

The humans that were in bathed shadowy light tore their helmets from their heads and began clawing their skulls in a desperate - and worthless- effort to rid their minds of the horrors that was eating them from within. Many heads simply exploded in showers of blood and brain matter, but not all. Those whose heads did not explode began to bleed from every orifice. Their screams of agony reached inhuman levels and Eliphas relished the sound. Their screams became gurgled and then they simply fell to the ground, their screams slowly fading.

It all happened in a matter of seconds and more than half of the Imperial Guard present died right then.

The survivors, filled with terror and succumbing to hopelessness, turned and fled despite the fact several were shot dead by the Commissar.

"Fight you worthless dogs! Fight!" he roared as he drove his saber into the throat of a marine that was careless enough to lower its guard.

The Basilisks were all but consumed by the Chaos tidal wave and the Leman Russ' and Hellhounds didn't fare much better, only managing to bring down a small handful of Defilers and Chaos Predators. The Baneblade fired all its munitions in a desperate attempt to slow the tide of the most foul, but was slowly consumed in the raging hell storm of Horror's flame magic and the melta blasts from marines stationed on the ridge.

Commissar Brett Markwell slashed and fired with unrelenting fury, succeeding in doing little more than draw more warp-spawn in his direction.

"Come warp-filth!" he spat, cackling hideously. "Come and meet your death!"

A group of Khorne Fleshhounds surrounded the commissar, but made no move to attack. Then they parted to create a path for a single, towering figure. Eliphas stepped forward with slow, purposeful steps. He smiled thinly at the feeble mortal and raised his crozius.

Commissar Brett Markwell spat at Eliphas's face. "I defy you to the end Traitor. Though you kill me, I rejoice for I will be at the Emperor's side." he said, his voice defiant.

The smile became a terrible grin. "I have no intention of killing you human," said Eliphas. "Oh no, I have something much better in mind." He lowered his crozius and motioned for Antheon to step forward. The sorcerer stepped forward with unthinkable speed and seized the commissar by the back of the neck.

"Perform the black sacrament. And make it so he doesn't die right away." He said before stalking off silently.

"By your will Dark Apostle." Antheon hissed. He motioned for a Chaos Marine. "Bring me my tools. I have need for them."

Eliphas sighed. The feeble humans had barely put up a resistance. He hoped for more worthy a challenge next time. He snickered as the once-commissar's screams filled the air. He wasn't acting so mighty now. He was about to seek out something to eat amongst the dead, when a Chaos Marine sprinted up to him.

"Great Eliphas," The marine said as he dropped to his knee and made the sign of the eight pointed star. "I bring news you must hear from scouts in the Agamar Desert!" The marine sounded…… afraid.

"What news could be so important as to disrupt my post-battle splendor?" Eliphas inquired, more than a little annoyed.

"Five hours ago, a large force of Dark Seraphim dropships landed and battled against the Tau."

Eliphas froze. The Dark Seraphim, here? Why? "And why is this so important? It merely means another foe to wipe out." he said, making a sweeping gesture.

"It is not the identity of the forces Dark One, rather…….." his voice trailed off as though he was terrified to finish his statement.

Eliphas's eyes flashed dangerously. "Rather what worm?" his patience was at end.

Even though the marine had his helmet on, his fear was blatantly obvious to even the stupidest of people. The marine hesitated for a long moment and said finally: "The one leading the Dark Seraphim was… former Word Bearer Chaos Lieutenant Sabre."

The area became dead silent for several seconds and then Eliphas exploded.

"WHAT!?" Eliphas's eyes were literally glowing with terrifyingly potent ire and his words had become saturated with pure venom. His foul mood was returning with terrible force. His grip tightened on his Accursed Crozius. The other warriors around him were quickly dispersing: when the apostle was in such a mood, he tended to kill whoever was closest at the time. Unfortunately for the marine bearing the report, that was him.

Eliphas seized the marine by the collar of his armor and ran the crozius through his stomach and twisted. The marine screamed and twisted, begging his master not to end him. Eliphas ripped the weapon from the marine's gut and flung him to the ground. Before the marine could crawl away, Eliphas lifted his foot and crushed both his legs.

"ZAPHEUS!!" he screamed. The sorcerer appeared close to him, but just out of striking range. Eliphas turned his terrible gaze toward him. "I want this fool tortured and sacrificed to the Dark Gods." he snarled, jabbing his finger at the whimpering form of the marine. "Make sure he suffers endlessly!"

The sorcerer nodded and took the marine away quickly.

Eliphas simmered for a few minutes. This was not something he expected: he had no idea how it had happened, but the bastard Sabre had broken free from the clutches of Chaos fifty years ago. And then he had simply disappeared. Now he was here, on Kronus, leading the Dark Seraphim!

"Perhaps this is not as ill fortuned as you might think my lord." Zapheus was beside him, his armor covered in a fresh coat of black polluted blood. Eliphas lifted an inquiring eyebrow.

"Explain."

Zapheus shifted under the apostle's hostile glare. "Perhaps the Dark Ones are presenting him to us as show of favor. With his death, you could redeem yourself in Lorgar's eyes and ultimately, in the Despoilers as well. And present a worthy gift for the Skull Throne."

Eliphas thought for a moment and then smiled. He nodded his agreement and then strode off. The sorcerer was right: this could be an excellent way to completely redeem himself. His foul mood was dissipating once more.

To be continued……

* * *

I created Drach'More as a possible future opponent for the Dark Seraphim, depending on how well my Dark Crusade fic does. 


End file.
